


Coming Home Now

by EstherRomanov



Series: Silence [2]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Always In Silence, F/M, Famous Harry, Famous Niall, I'm not sure with this, M/M, Non-Famous Louis, Please bare with me, Sequel, lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 05:56:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11269323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EstherRomanov/pseuds/EstherRomanov
Summary: As requested (?).Harry wants to be part of Louis' new world. Louis doesn't know what to feel.





	Coming Home Now

One

Niall is not contacting him for the weeks that followed. And much as Louis longs for him, he can’t help but to feel that he deserves this. He deserves this. Why did he have to keep the truth from Niall? Now he is getting punished by the heavens. He is getting ignored by his sweet beautiful boy and there is a news in The Insider centering around him and Ellie Goulding on a “secret date.” 

Louis laughs about it one night, the silliness of it. Forrest looks at him quizzically. The boy does not talk again… maybe it’s for the best. 

“Forrest,” he whispers. “We’re going to be alone from now on.” 

Two

They are not going to be. 

Three

For the duration of Niall’s absence, it is Harry who visits once a week to see his son. Harry sneaks in the house at night in drab clothes and newsboy cap and leaves the following night. Louis lets him share some time with Forrest, but he doesn’t talk to him. 

It is an arrangement that he must let Harry do this. Forrest learns to smile whenever Harry is around. His limited words are uttered whenever his father is there. And Harry really seems to want to bond with his son. It makes Louis wonder of the yesteryears when he was more than sure that Harry is not prepared for a baby. 

They have not talked about their past relationship and how they ended things between them. Louis has got no courage to talk things through. Louis is usually in the kitchen when Harry comes. The singer and Forrest will stay in the den, drawing caricatures, watching cartoons, playing some shite mobile games. This one particular night though, Harry leaves Forrest momentarily to stalk Louis in the kitchen. 

Louis glances at him and Harry gives him a nervous smile. The radio plays Niall Horan and Harry Styles’ collaboration. It has been up in the charts for four weeks now. 

“How are you?” Harry tries to be friendly. Louis shrugs in response. 

“I’m fine.” 

“I… I’ve been trying to contact Niall myself but he’s really elusive these days.” 

“None of your concern, actually. Don’t sweat about it.” Louis doesn’t mean to snap but anyway his response causes Harry to grimace. 

Harry looks to where their son is still sketching with an indecipherable expression. “Feels weird…” he says. “He’s seven…” 

“Overwhelmed?” Louis asks. 

The other man laughs a little. “Yes. It’s just… all this time and I didn’t know I am a dad. I didn’t get to see him take his first steps or see him off on his first day in school.” He looks at Louis with spite. “You took that away from me.” 

Taken aback, Louis says, “You were so busy that time.” 

“I would have made time for you, Louis. Anything for you, you know that.” 

“Bullshit. You didn’t even have enough time to call me, how would you make time for a child? You broke up with me before I got the chance to tell you about him.” 

“Then did you have any plans to tell me in the future? I have a right, Louis.” Harry shakes his head and calms down. “Anyway, listen. I wanted to ask you if it will be alright if I bring Tess in here next time, so she could meet the child.” 

“No.” 

Harry is angry. “What do you mean no?” 

“No. I will not let you introduce another mother to Forrest. I’m his only mother.” 

“I’m only introducing her as a friend and, fuck, you probably already let the child believe Niall is his father. This will make the two of us.” 

“I didn’t! You know I fucking didn’t!” Louis exclaims. “In case you didn’t fucking realize, Forrest recognized you the first time he saw you.” 

“Then let me introduce Tess as my girlfriend. Forrest knows Niall is your boyfriend.” 

Louis gets up. “Fine! I don’t care. Go ahead.” He runs upstairs before he can hear Harry’s reply and witness Forrest’s reaction. 

Four

Harry really brings Tess the next time. Now it’s Harry, Tess and Forrest in the den while Louis is alone in his bedroom. He has come up with as many excuses as he can just not to have a conversation with the girl. Tess tries to. It’s important for her to get to know the man who gave birth to his boyfriend’s son. Louis is not letting her. And although Harry will frown at him time and again for his behavior, he doesn’t care. Oftentimes Louis would catch Harry watching him with pleading eyes but Louis is quick to flip him off. 

Louis only got the break he wants from them when Lottie asks one day if Forrest could stay with the rest of the family. Lottie doesn’t know how much mental stress she saved Louis from, how much Louis owes her for that; he agrees almost immediately. He calls Harry and tells him Forrest will not be at home for the weekend; there’s no need to visit. He could tell Harry is disappointed but what the hell. Because of him Niall is not coming back. Because of him Louis believes Niall is done with him. 

Five

On the first night of Forrest’s stay with Lottie, Louis walks around the house. It is even quieter without anyone around. Even the meek Forrest provides color in the house, but now it’s empty. Nonetheless, Louis needs the alone time. 

He makes his way to the den to watch movies when he discovers the stacks of Forrest’s drawings under the table. He has been avoiding seeing his drawings for quite some time. In his insecure little imagination, he sees Harry trying to get Forrest to draw him, the boy and Tess as one happy family. He sees Forrest complying because the boy likes his father. 

Maybe it was a wrong move that Louis introduced Forrest to Harry. 

He grabs the drawings and his heart skips a beat and his mind becomes frazzled and he doesn’t know whether to smile or cry. 

Forrest’s drawings, all of it, model a happy family: Louis, Harry, and him. His mind couldn’t even fathom what Tess and Harry’s reaction are like every time they sit through Forrest’s drawing sessions. 

Six

Two things happened that night: one, the aforementioned discovery of child sketches and two, knocking on the door that signals Niall’s return. 

The two stares at each other in the den as if in a stand-off, waiting the movement of the other. When Niall notices Louis’ silent tears though, he’s the one to break it up and run over to envelope Louis in a hug. 

Niall comes back to his life after exactly three months of not talking to him. Louis was hurt by the silent treatment for the past twelve weeks and now that it has come to an end, crying on his shoulder, he is more than grateful and actually makes a promise above that he will never, ever, take him for granted again. 

In the den, safely cuddled together on the couch after they said their apologies and promises, Niall makes Louis tell him his real story; how he met Harry, how Forrest came to be, how they separated – no bullshits this time. So Louis tells the whole truth. 

“Why didn’t you call for the press to cover your story?” Niall asks. 

Because he doesn’t want to hurt Harry’s name, he replies. Because he doesn’t want to gain Harry’s and the world’s attention; he just wants silence. 

“Alright.” Niall kisses his temple. “That’s more than enough. We can start again, can we? He’s nothing to you now, is he?” 

Louis shakes his head. 

“Good. Good. ‘Cause just so you know, I will never give this up.” 

Niall kisses him on the lips this time, then asks him if he has plans to stop Harry from coming to this house every weekend to visit his son. 

Seven

Harry stops coming, not because of Niall, but because of a blurry photograph circling the internet. It shows Harry inside a house, through a window, sitting with a mysterious kid (Forrest). The caption reads, “Big Star’s Little Big Secret”. Harry Styles has a secret family, basically the gist of the nuisance article. He has to lie low for a while. After eight some years of being in the industry, his name can still string controversy; Louis will give him that. He hates him for almost risking Forrest’s life. 

Of course Forrest has no reaction to that. But that’s a given, is it? 

Niall substitutes for Harry and sits with the wordless boy. And Louis can’t look at his boyfriend when Forrest starts drawing Harry again as his father in that family picture. 

Eight

Harry calls them every night ever since he stops coming. They are all quick calls. Harry says his management doesn’t know about those; they don’t actually allow him to contact Louis and Forrest at all until the public reach a consensus to dismiss the Harry-secret-family as another bullshit. But Harry says he misses his son so much. “How is he?” he would ask. “I’m watching Tom And Jerry right now. Tell him that.” “I’ve downloaded another game; tell him I can’t wait to play it with him.” “Could you ask Forrest if he’s comfortable with watercolors or should I buy him oil pastel?” 

Louis does tell his son. But when he grew tired of just relaying the message, he hands the phone over to Forrest and watches his son while a muffled voice came through the speaker. Forrest is nodding his head to whatever Harry is saying. Then the little boy turns to Louis. “Papa says he misses you like hell.” 

Nine

Harry returns on Halloween night and Forrest learns to laugh. Harry returns straight from the airport clad in a mummy costume and he tickles Son Goku/Forrest Tomlinson to the ground. And Indiana Jones/Louis Tomlinson knows that it’s wrong to watch them with fond eyes and laugh with them while Niall is in America, but he does so anyway. 

Harry picks Forrest up in his arms and kisses his forehead. “D’you miss me? You did? Aww, I missed you too. What about mommy? Do you think your mommy missed me?” 

Louis looks at him incredulously. Forrest is furiously nodding his head. Harry squeals in delight. “He did?” Then he reaches Louis’ shoulder and gives him a sloppy kiss on the lips. “I missed you, too.” He says this with so much sincerity that Louis just can’t understand why. 

“A-are you staying with us? We’re going trick-or-treating,” Forrest says. Forrest speaks in complete sentences (two complete sentences) and out of nowhere and Louis begins to wonder what he has done wrong. 

“Of course!” Harry exclaims gradually, after also recovering from the surprise of Forrest speaking. “I wouldn’t want to waste my intricate costume, would I?” 

Forrest laughs again. All through that night, he never left Harry’s side. All through that night, Harry didn’t let go of Louis’ waist. People from the neighborhood don’t recognize Harry thanks to the bandages wrapped around his face. On Halloween night, the celebrity camouflaged perfectly to a commoner. It makes the three of them go easy, reckless, loud and happy. And if Louis found myself enjoying his time with Harry and their son and wishing the night will never end, Niall doesn’t need to know. 

Ten

“My contract will end next year,” Harry tells him after they tucked Forrest in bed. 

“Okay… what does that mean?” 

Harry shrugs. “I just want to tell you.” There is a moment of silence before Harry leans forward. Harry kisses him and he kisses back and there’s so much passion in that moment. It takes a while for Louis to regain his senses. 

“We can’t,” he says as he steps back. “I’m with Niall. You have Tess. It’s not fair to them. And your name, your career…” 

Harry doesn’t respond but leaves him alone. 

Eleven

When Harry comes again, Niall is also in the house. 

Niall and Louis are just laughing about the #NiamBromance going around. _Funny how people take that oh-so-seriously_ , Niall says. Forrest sits on the kitchen table with them, and Niall jokingly asks the kid to replace Harry’s figure in the drawing with Niall. No response. 

There’s a knock on the backdoor (always the backdoor). Harry strides in and he is alone. An official statement is issued the past week saying he is not on the best terms with Tess Ward in the moment. 

Harry takes in the surroundings. “Oh. I’ve just come to…” 

“Hi, Harry.” Niall beams at him. “Forrest, your dad’s here.” 

Forrest walks over at the newcomer casually. Harry embraces the kid. “I’ve bought you a sketchpad and some charcoal pens,” the adult says. 

They start to head to the den when Forrest pulls at the hem of Louis’ shirt. He wants him to come with father and son. 

Louis turns to Niall. His heart breaks when he understands the look Niall is giving him; eyes wary but desperate and pleading, begging him to stay, please stay with him. Louis gently pushes Forrest’s hands away. “I’ve got to prepare something. I’ll follow soon.” 

He sits close to Niall and holds his sweaty hand tightly. 

Twelve

The question pops when they are making love in bed. 

Niall is hovering above him after they both came. He looks down at Louis, still panting, with sad, sad eyes that Louis has to reach out to gently touch his face. In a flash of the little annoyance, Niall pins Louis’ hands over his head. There’s a look of new determination in his features. 

“Ni…” 

“Marry me, Lou.” 

Shocked, Louis does not reply. 

“Louis, I want you to marry me,” Niall presses on. 

“I… I don’t think this is the right time… what with your career…” 

“I don’t give a damn. And you’re not my manager.” 

“Niall, if you could just wait.” 

“I’ve waited long enough!” Niall shouts to his face. “Five years, Lou. More than five years. That’s too long.” He tries to smile. “I’ve been a good boyfriend, haven’t I? I was there for you – I’ll be here for you –always. I’m willing to sacrifice my career for you, everything. Harry won’t, ever. You can’t trust Harry to do all that, can’t you?” Now he dips down to continue his words in the crook of Louis’ neck. “He will never do all that. I will. I love you. He doesn’t. He didn’t care about you only until he found out about Forrest. And Forrest… Harry was never there to watch Forrest grow, was he? He didn’t know he has a son. I practically raise Forrest up. I was there with him every step of the way. We both take good care of _our_ son. He is our son, Louis. Forrest is now my son.” Louis feels trickle of tears damping his skin. “You’re both mine, Louis. I’ve done everything for you. All I’m asking in return is a little love. Marry me, Louis. I deserve that. After everything I’ve done for you, don’t I deserve that? Please. Marry me.” 

Louis closes his eyes and surrenders to give the proper answer. 

“Yes.” 

Thirteen

Forrest is drawing Harry and Louis and him in the den. Louis sits beside his son and smiles painfully at his work. 

“Why don’t you draw Niall, Forrest?” he asks. “He also stands as your father.” 

The boy doesn’t answer. His emotions come and go and when it comes, it’s always a surprise. 

“Remember last year, during Father’s day, we prepared breakfast for him. We ate it in his bed. He said you’re going to be a wonderful cook. You called him papa—” 

“I’ve found my real dad.” Forrest doesn’t look up. “I can call him Uncle Niall, treat him like one. He’s been so kind towards us.” 

“Well I think you’re becoming that’s still a little too cruel towards Niall. Don’t you think he deserves better?” Louis asks gently. “I… I think you should give him a chance. Very soon he’ll be your real father. We’re going to get married and the three of us will be a family.” 

The crayon in Forrest’s hand stops moving. 

“Forrest? Forrest, please try to understand.” 

“You’re marrying him?” 

The question is not from Forrest but from Harry who steps in from the door. Louis wonders how long he’s been standing there and why didn’t he knock, but he dismisses those questions to stand up and regard the newcomer gravely. 

“You’re marrying Niall?” Harry asks again in disbelief. 

Louis is scared. “He proposed to me. And I said yes.” 

Harry laughs but it is so maniacal. “Oh, God. Good old Niall Horan finally making a grand gesture, eh?” He drops a newspaper page he’s been holding when he entered. Louis briefly reads: Singer Harry Styles and Author Tess Ward splits. 

“Don’t do it if he’s just pressuring you,” Harry orders him. 

“I’m not being pressured.” 

“Then just… don’t do it. Don’t do it. Forrest is not going to be happy with that bloke.” 

“What are you talking about? Niall’s been with us for so long. Of course Forrest – and I – is happy with him.” 

“THEN JUST DON’T DO IT!” Harry shouts. And fuck, is the music icon crying now? 

Louis flinches. “Why?” he asks weakly. 

“Because… because of me…” Louis fixes him a confused stare before Harry goes on. “Louis, I can’t lose you again…” he pleads. 

It is in that moment that Louis chooses to be cruel. “You didn’t seem so apologetic when you lost me the first time. What changed? Is it because you have a son, a responsibility? You don’t have to make amends for it. I managed before. I certainly don’t need you now.” 

Harry holds him on both shoulders and stares at him squarely in the eye. “Louis. Goddammit. I never stopped loving you…” 

Louis moans. “What are you rambling about?” 

“…and wishing that I’m still with you…” 

“Stop.” 

“…and to tell you every wrong decision I’ve made…” 

“Harry, please.” 

“…I wished I could’ve forgotten you but—” 

“Harry, that changes nothing. You left and life went on.” 

“If I give up everything now, will you come with me? Could I stay with you then?” 

“Stop confusing me, Harry!” 

“Then stop making irrational decisions and don’t marry him just because that knob’s threatened by me!” 

“He’s not,” Louis denies. 

“He is.” And as if a thought enters Harry’s mind, he bears a smug smile. “He’s threatened because you still feel something for me. Is that it?” 

Louis gives him a warning look. “Don’t you dare.” 

It is in that moment that Forrest starts to cry. It startles both his parents. Louis tries to appease his son cautiously but Harry just steps in and scoops Forrest in his arms. The boy bawls on his father’s shoulders. 

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” Harry soothes him. “Mom and I are sorry for fighting, all right? It’s never going to happen again, I promise.” 

Louis looks at them sadly for a second. He thought he is all that Forrest needs in life. He thought he’s more than enough. He thought – fuck. He abandons all those thoughts and decides to act what he’s supposed to. 

He crowds in beside Harry and Forrest, and pats Forrest’s back gently and kisses the little shoulder blade. “There. We’re both here, love,” he whispers to him. “We’re not going to leave you. We’re here. We’re here.” 

Harry looks at him. Louis doesn’t know what the look means but maybe it is elation, gratefulness, apology and love rolled into one. He pulls Louis’ close by the waist. Forrest closes one hand around Louis’ neck, completing their three-way hug. Louis starts to cry. Harry kisses his tears away. 

God, he is tired. He starts to pull away but… 

Forrest is not letting go. 

Harry is not letting go. 

Perhaps… perhaps he also shouldn’t. 

After eight some years, Harry has come home. 

Fourteen

It is perhaps because of the intimate moment he shared with Louis and his son that Harry forgets to show them the paper he’s brought. What a waste it would have been; Harry mustered all his courage to do what he did. 

It is not in vain. Hours and miles and seas away from them, Niall reads the article. 

Apart from the breakup, there is also a mention of Harry’s end of contracts with his label. Harry confirms that he is not renewing the contract. More importantly, he wants to retire. After eight some years in the music industry and under the spotlight, Harry says he wants to take a permanent break. Niall reads: 

_“I think I’ve had my share. I’ve accumulated a lot of experience. I’ve had a chance to share what I’ve got with the world and the world had listened to me. I’ve made a mark,” Harry said. “And it’s more than enough. Probably more than enough. Now I want to try new things. And I’ve got a family to attend to.”_

The article ends with a hypothesis that Harry is alluding to the secret-family-scandal on his last sentence. 

Niall throws the paper away in complete anguish. 

#

**Author's Note:**

> Please, PLEASE, don't kill me.


End file.
